SideXSide: Symantec Endpoint Protection Vs. McAfee Total Protection

Recent hacks into defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Northrup Grumman, Zeus malware riding in on faux LinkedIn messages, and recent data breaches at major organizations including Sony, Epislon, and the Massachussetts Unemployment Office may have you busily researching your security options.

When it comes to security in the enterprise, software and hardware solutions need to work together in order to maximize the chances of corporate data not seeping out into the wild. Chances are, you have several different hardware options in place to help secure your company's data, but which software solutions are you using?

Finding the right software solution in the security space isn't nearly as easy as it should be. And, considering there are so many solutions out there, even narrowing down your choices can prove to be extremely difficult.
To help you out, we've focused this SideXSide comparison on two specific solutions -- Symantec's Endpoint Protection and McAfee's Total Protection. Our goal is to aid your decision-making process by giving you a one-stop resource to compare what these security platforms

SideXSide: Symantec Endpoint Protection Vs. McAfee Total Protection

Features

Symantec Endpoint Protection

McAfee Total Protection

Market focus

Enterprise

Enterprise

System requirements

Works on a number of platforms, including Windows 2000 Professional,
Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008.
It also works on Windows XP Professional and all 64-bit versions of
Microsoft's latest operating systems. Even better, the platform works
on Mac OS X and Linux, including Red Hat Enterprise, SuSE Enterprise,
and Novell Open Enterprise Server.

Available on a slew of platforms, including Windows 2000, Windows XP
Professional, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. On the server side, it's
available to Windows 2003 Web edition, Enterprise server, Standard
server, Advanced server with SP2 or higher, and Datacenter Server. The
platform is also capable of running on XP Tablet PC. As an added bonus,
it's available on Microsoft Exchange, as well.

AntiVirus and Spyware

One of the key feature is its
anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. According to Symantec, the
software features up-to-date virus and spyware definitions to catch
issues quickly. In addition the company says it offers "rootkit
protection [and a] reduced memory footprint." Symantec also says that
its platform is capable of protecting employee computers from "zero-day
attacks and mutating spyware." But, as with everything else, beware
that fighting malware today is a difficult job, and no single piece of
software will do the trick.

You'll find a wide-ranging suite of security services in McAfee's Total
Protection. The company says that its anti-virus and anti-spyware tools
are capable of closing the "protection gap and stop[ping] new malware
in minutes." In addition, the company offers protection from malware
through its "Global Threat Intelligence" offering, which examines
threats around the world and implements fixes as quickly as possible.
But, as with everything else, beware that fighting malware today is a
difficult job, and no single piece of software will do the trick.

Network Security

Several network-security features are in place to ensure that employees who
fail to follow corporate rules don't get themselves into too much
trouble. The company's software offers a "rules-based firewall engine,"
as well as its "Generic Exploit Blocking" mechanism to stop malware
before it gets to the user's computer. With an additional Network
Access Control license, customers will have the ability to control
access to the corporate network. The software also works with other
tools currently in place to prevent network security issues from
arising.

Arguably more robust than Symantec's option when it comes to network
security. According to the company, its software is designed to prevent
spam and any phishing attacks that might arise. In addition, it offers
URL filtering to ensure your employees are only going to those sites
that they're authorized to access. SiteAdvisor, another potentially
useful tool, displays a warning to users when they enter a potentially
malicious site, and blocks any pages that are known to contain
malicious files.

Firewall Considerations

You'll find a firewall in Symantec Endpoint Protection. The company
says that the offering will help you keep malware away from corporate
computers and enhance your ability to keep malicious hackers out.
However, be sure to compare Symantec's option to others, including the
firewall built into Windows, to ensure you're employing the right
solution.

McAfee's Total Protection includes a firewall, allowing you to protect
employee computers before trouble erupts. The company says that its
firewall is capable of blocking many threats before they break out.
However, be sure to compare McAfee's option with others, including the
firewall built into Windows, to ensure you're employing the right
solution.

IT Staff Control

As with other enterprise-focused security solutions, Symantec Endpoint
Protection boasts a central management function for you to establish
policies and enforce them on employee computers. Symantec's console has
a Web-based reporting mechanism for you to keep tabs on what's going on
in your environment. Even better, if you have Network Access Control
running, you'll be able to manage that option from the console, as well.

McAfee's Total Protection comes with a Web-based console that allows
you to set policies and enforce them across your enterprise. The
company's platform, dubbed ePolicy Orchestrator, also allows for you to
check in on what's happening across your network to ensure your
employees aren't trying to violate any policies. The Web-based
component should make it easy to access and take advantage of while
away from the office.

Time Considerations

Symantec's single-console system and full integration of different
security tools leads the company to claim that it can help you
safeguard data quickly and efficiently without wasting too much of your
time. Company information doesn't say for sure how much time it would
actually save users, but it does posit that -- when compared to using
several different programs -- time is on your side.

McAfee is keenly aware of the finite amount of time you have. That's
why the company is quick to tout the time savings that goes into its
platform. In fact, it claims that a midsized enterprise will "spend
less time on security management by using McAfee's centralized
management console." It claims that ensuring security in your company
will require just 15 minutes of management through its console each day.

TCO Considerations

Symantec is quick to point out a reduced total cost of ownership with
its Endpoint Protection software. The company literature doesn't
provide an exact figure, but its material does say that deploying its
software to do all things is much cheaper than opting for several
different platforms to take care of all the things that Endpoint
Protection can handle.

McAfee's literature is quick to point out the potential savings of
opting for Total Protection over another platform. The company claims
that its service can save companies "up to 50 percent," thanks to
"lower licensing fees and support costs." The company's figures are in
comparison to costs associated with buying separate software programs
to handle the many things Total Protection does.

Actual Windows Protection

Though it doesn't necessarily relate to Symantec's Endpoint Protection,
it's important to keep in mind that protecting any Windows PC in your
operation is extremely difficult. For one, no single software solution
will be able to ensure safety. In fact, you'll likely need several
platforms just to get close to maximizing your security. Beyond that,
you'll need hardware protection and you'll want to train your employees
about what they should and should not do when surfing the Web. Simply
put, platforms like Symantec's Endpoint Protection can keep your
employees safer, but they won't ensure absolute safety.

Though it doesn't necessarily relate to McAfee's Total Protection, it's
important to keep in mind that protecting any Windows PC in your
operation is extremely difficult. For one, no single software solution
will be able to ensure safety. In fact, you'll likely need several
platforms just to get close to maximizing your security. Beyond that,
you'll need hardware protection and you'll want to train your employees
about what they should and should not do when surfing the Web. Simply
put, platforms like McAfee's Total Protection can keep your employees
safer, but they won't ensure absolute safety.

Pricing

One-year, 5-license pack costs $270.90. A 25-license pack will set you
back $1,092. Symantec has multi-year options, as well, to ensure you
get the right price for the right solution.

McAfee requires at least 11 licenses with its Total Protection. That
offer costs $1,538.46 in addition to $615.34 for an additional one year
of maintenance. If you opt for 25 licenses, you'll pay $4,895 with a
one-year additional maintenance plan included.